Fox News is facing yet another defamation lawsuit, this time from a man who was linked to conspiracy theories about the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Ray Epps, a former U.S. Marine turned Arizona wedding venue operator, filed the lawsuit in Delaware on Wednesday. He alleges that Fox News host Tucker Carlson defamed him by repeatedly calling him an undercover FBI agent who helped to orchestrate the insurrection.
Carlson made the claims on his show, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” in nearly 20 episodes. He said that Epps was recorded urging the mob to enter the Capitol building, but that he never entered himself. Carlson also said that Epps was “helping stage-manage the insurrection.”
Epps denies all of these claims. He says that he was never an FBI agent and that he never encouraged anyone to enter the Capitol. He says that he was simply a Trump supporter who was there to protest the election results.
The lawsuit alleges that Carlson’s claims have caused Epps and his wife, Robyn, to suffer “severe emotional distress.” It also alleges that they have received death threats.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
This is not the first time that Fox News has been sued for defamation over its coverage of the January 6th attack. In April, the network settled a lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million. Dominion had accused Fox News of falsely claiming that the company’s voting machines were rigged in favor of Joe Biden.
The lawsuit against Fox News is the latest in a series of legal challenges facing the network. In recent years, Fox News has also been sued for sexual harassment, discrimination, and antitrust violations.
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The network has denied all of the allegations against it.
It remains to be seen whether Fox News will be held liable for defamation in the Epps case. However, the lawsuit is a sign that the network’s coverage of the January 6th attack is continuing to be met with scrutiny.
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In addition to the legal challenges, Fox News is also facing a decline in viewership. In the first quarter of 2023, Fox News’s ratings fell by 10% compared to the same period last year. This decline is likely due to a number of factors, including the network’s increasingly partisan coverage and the rise of streaming services.
It remains to be seen whether Fox News will be able to weather these challenges. However, the network’s history of survival suggests that it will be able to adapt and continue to be a major force in the media landscape.